Reincarnate = Immortality?

[Falling Icicle]

I was reading the Reincarnate spell and noticed something very interesting.

"The magic of the spell creates an entirely new young adult body for the soul to inhabit from the natural elements at hand."

Now, this is interesting because no spell in D&D can raise someone back to life who has died of old age. However, since reincarnate brings you back in a young adult body, you could effectively use this spell to live forever, so long as you get killed before you die from old age. So just commit suicide once you are getting old, and have a friend bring you back in a new, young body.

 

[Cheiromancer]

Many classes give the ability to stop aging. Universally they have a provision that "when your time is up" you die. I don't see anything in the reincarnate spell to contradict this.

After all, the maximum age of a character is not tied to ability loss or the like; a specific maximum age is given. When you reach it, you die. No matter what the apparent age or health of your body is.

Of course, this same reasoning would say that a character who becomes a lich or a vampire will keel over when the maximum age is reached, which I don't think is the case.

As far as I can see, only deities are specified as naturally immortal and unaging.

 

[szilard]

Universally they have a provision that "when your time is up" you die.

What does an absolute age limit accomplish from a game balance/design perspective?

In my mind, it just makes these abilities less cool for no good reason.

-Stuart

 

[Rystil Arden]

If you want a flavourful way to portray what Cheiromancer is saying, consider something similar to what happens to Dante in Fullmetal Alchemist. She constantly swaps her soul into young healthy bodies, but as time goes by, the bodies begin to decay more and more quickly because her soul is decaying, and she needs to switch even more often.

 

[Moon-Lancer]

-never mind-

i had something to say, but i dont think i wanted to say it that way.

 

[Cheiromancer]

What does an absolute age limit accomplish from a game balance/design perspective?

In my mind, it just makes these abilities less cool for no good reason.

-Stuart

I have no idea, but those rules are there. And magic items which reverse the aging process are pretty darn scarce; mostly, if not exclusively, in 3rd party supplements. Even the elixir of youth can only be found only in older editions.

 

[Moon-Lancer]

with rencarnation you take a risk. You stop being yoursel fand become something else. its a trade off.

 

[DM_Matt]

Many classes give the ability to stop aging. Universally they have a provision that "when your time is up" you die. I don't see anything in the reincarnate spell to contradict this.

That is actually an argument FOR it working. If every other such ability explicitly contains that provision, it implies that it would not be the case were it not stated. Reincarnate does not have that, but rather says that you get a young adult body, and nothing is added to imply that it doesn't extend life.

 

[Cheiromancer]

Ah, the old "the exception proves the rule" argument. Perhaps you are right.

Maybe Hypersmurf will weigh in. He's extremely reliable with these kind of things.

 

[Rystil Arden]

That is actually an argument FOR it working. If every other such ability explicitly contains that provision, it implies that it would not be the case were it not stated. Reincarnate does not have that, but rather says that you get a young adult body, and nothing is added to imply that it doesn't extend life.

By that argument, would you say that continual casting of the Polymorph spell to Polymorph yourself into a young adult would prevent you from joining the choir invisible at your appointed time?